Last week, Walmart announced the rebranding of its advertising platform, Walmart Connect. There's a lot to unpack in the press release, so here's a thread! https://corporate.walmart.com/newsroom/2021/01/28/walmart-announces-expanded-vision-and-new-name-for-its-media-business

Walmart has 170,000 digital screens for advertising across self check outs (photo in the press release) and "in-store TV walls."

Could the TV walls be the same as what this TikTok user found at Kroger? https://twitter.com/RosenZone/status/1348842054764404737?s=20

The press release also mentions other types of experiences for ads and sampling. This includes Walmart Drive-In and Spooky Street (its Halloween trick or treat experience).

These must have been reasonably successful to be mentioned. Should we expect their return?

Walmart+ is acknowledged as a loyalty program and will generate shopper data.

Walmart does not have any type of traditional loyalty program, so it does not have access to data that links a shopper profile to purchases. Walmart+ may be critical in generating data.

Walmart highlights the growth of marketplace sellers as a key pillar to the success of Walmart Connect. The company wants more sellers to bid up ad prices.

The ad load on the site is not as bad as Amazon's. I wonder if that will change now.

And finally, the press release says that Walmart Connect will create "new ways of commercializing content will lead to more creative shoppable placements for items."

Is that corporate speak for "We are going to lean into TikTok"?